Utah's 'Lost World' Yields 15-Horned Dino

Kosmoceratops resembled oversized rhino
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 23, 2010 3:34 AM CDT
Updated Sep 23, 2010 6:28 AM CDT
Utah's 'Lost World' Yields 15-Horned Dino
This image provided by the Utah Museum of Natural History shows an artist's reconstruction of the Utahceratops.    (AP Photo/Lukas Panzarin, Utah Museum of Natural History)

A pair of dinosaur species discovered in Utah rank among the horniest beasts ever to walk the Earth, researchers say. One, Kosmoceratops, had 15 full-sized horns on its head, which was roughly 6.5 feet long. Researchers believe the impressive display helped the dinosaur compete for mates, much like peacock feathers or deer antlers, the Guardian reports.

The other species, Utahceratops, had fewer horns but its skull was over 7 feet long. Both species, ancestors of Triceratops, "are basically oversized rhinos with a whole lot more horns on their heads," explains a researcher. "They had huge heads relative to their body size." The bones were found in southern Utah at the tip of what was once a long island called Laramidia. Researchers expect the region to yield many more new finds.
(More Kosmoceratops stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X